Selectively sending notifications to mobile devices using device filtering process

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product selectively sends notifications to mobile devices. The computer determines that a user has a plurality of computing devices that are associated with the user. The computer determines that the user has met a criterion that triggers delivery of a message to at least one computing device from the plurality of computing devices. The computer filters from the plurality of computing devices a selected number of the at least one computing device to selectively receive the message, wherein the filtering is based on a condition of the at least one computing devices that differs from other devices of the plurality of computing devices to determine the selected number. The computer sends the message to the selected number of computing devices.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile devices, andspecifically to mobile devices that are capable of receivingnotifications regarding operations of the mobile devices. Morespecifically, the present disclosure relates to selectively sendingnotifications to specific mobile devices based on relative location ofthe specific mobile devices.

SUMMARY

A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program productselectively sends notifications to mobile devices. The computerdetermines that a user has a plurality of computing devices that areassociated with the user. The computer determines that the user has meta criterion that triggers delivery of a message to at least onecomputing device from the plurality of computing devices. The computerfilters from the plurality of computing devices a selected number of theat least one computing device to selectively receive the message,wherein the filtering is based on a condition of the at least onecomputing devices that differs from other devices of the plurality ofcomputing devices to determine the selected number. The computer sendsthe message to the selected number of computing devices.

The invention provides a filtering method and system the determines, byone or more processors, that the at least one computing device of theuser is within a threshold distance to a predetermined location, based,at least in part, on location information for the plurality of computingdevices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system and network in which the presentdisclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a high-level flow chart of one or more steps performed by oneor more processors to selectively send notifications to mobile devicesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a cloud computing node according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 5 depicts abstraction model layers according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Disclosed herein is a method and system by which analysis of criteriaare used to determine which mobile device to send a given notificationto, such as when a notification should be sent to a computer, tablet,smart watch (i.e., a miniaturized computing device that is worn by auser and/or is synched to a mobile phone carried by the user) and when anotification should be sent to the mobile phone. Through analysis thesystem determines the best place (e.g., smart watch or mobile phone) tosend a given notification based upon (1) where a user is currently usingtheir mobile devices, and based upon (2) device settings, and/or (3) thespecific content contained within the notification.

One implementation example may include a mobile user who has multipledevices associated with one account; for example, three (3) devicesassociated to one AppleID account. A marketer who uses a system like IBMPresence Insights or IBM Marketing Cloud may create and sendnotifications to select mobile devices. In this example, the marketermay create location-based notifications as they would today byspecifying a target region, beacon and/or geofence. When a mobile deviceenters or breaches the pre-set location-based target as detected by asuitable location sensing system, the system would look at the locationof all user devices associated with the AppleID account of the deviceowner. The system would determine which device(s) to send thenotification to. This determination can be done various ways (notlimited to the following): (1) the nearest device to target locationwhereby the devices themselves can share their location information withthe system; (2) the system can poll the devices to ask for thedevice-specific locations such that the location sharing feature wouldhave been previously authorized by the user; (3) the system can use thelast known location of the user; e.g., if they are inside a store whereGPS is not functioning but 5 minutes ago they were nearby the store, thesystem could predict that the user is still nearby the store with thatdevice.

In this example, for all of the devices within a certain threshold tothe trigger target; e.g. all devices within 200 feet from geofence XYZ,the system would deliver the notification to the correct device(s).

An example of this system and method will now be described. Bob has four(4) devices. Bob's cellphone, tablet, work cellphone, and Bob's wife'scellphone on which Bob has installed the Great Grocery app on. Bob headsfrom his house to a Great Grocery location. While Bob is shopping, Bobtriggers a location event. Bob has entered the Men's clothingdepartment. For conventional systems, Bob would receive a notificationon every device that has the Great Grocery app installed. In this caseit might be three (3) of Bob's devices (e.g., Bob didn't install the appon Bob's work phone).

Using the present invention, the system would first do a lookup todetermine the last known and/or current location of Bob's devices. Itwould then determine that Bob's wife's phone and Bob's tablet are athome. The system also sees that Bob's cellphone is within 200 feet ofthe Great Grocery. Since that device is the closest, the notificationwould be shown to Bob's cellphone and Bob's wife wouldn't be interruptedwith an inappropriate message on her device. When Bob gets home from thestore, Bob also doesn't have the notification waiting on his tabletsince it was never sent to that device.

In accordance with the invention, the system may determine that at leasttwo of the computing devices of the user are within the thresholddistance of a particular location; e.g., the Great Grocery. Moreover,the system may determine which of the at least two of the computingdevices is to receive the message based on a determined preference ofthe user. The determined preference of the user may be based onfrequency of device usage, which may be stored by the system in anhistorical database. Likewise, the determined preference may be asetting on the device that is made by the user. When the system utilizesa historical database, the system may determine a pattern of userbehavior for viewing messages on the at least two of the computingdevices of the user; and determines that the user is more likely to viewa message received a given computing device, of the at least two of thecomputing devices, based on the pattern of user behavior. In this case,the message is sent to at least the given computing device.

While the present invention is described in one or more embodiments asbeing related to selectively sending notifications to a computer,tablet, smart watch or a mobile phone, the invention described herein isalso applicable to selectively sending notifications to a tabletcomputer, a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a smart watch, or someother type of electronic device capable of receiving a notification. Forexample, the present invention may send a notification to a desktopcomputer if the user's tablet computer is in use, or vice versa. In apreferred embodiment the notification is sent to a different type ofdevice than that the type of device that the notification as originallyintended. For example, if the notification was originally directed to alaptop computer, then in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention that notification will be sent instead to a desktopcomputer, a smart watch, a mobile phone, etc., such that each of thesealternative recipients of the notification are of a different type ofdevice than the original desktop computer.

A notification is defined as a notice message generated by and/or sentto a mobile device regarding a status of events related to the mobiledevice. The notification may be with regard to events related tosoftware applications running on the mobile device and/or hardwarestates of hardware within the mobile device.

Examples of notifications related to software applications include, butare not limited to, notifications of an incoming text message to themobile device, an incoming e-mail to the mobile device, a calendar alertfrom an electronic calendar (thus notifying the user that it is time fora scheduled event to occur), a timer alarm (thus notifying the user thata countdown timer has reached zero), an incoming phone call, an incomingsoftware update that is being transmitted to the mobile device, aweather report from a weather service, and an error message related tothe status of the applications running on the mobile device.

Examples of notifications related to hardware on the mobile deviceinclude, but are not limited to, notifications about processor usage andbandwidth, availability and/or changes to the amount of availablewireless bandwidth to the mobile device, temperatures of specificcomponents within the mobile device of an overall/average temperaturewithin the mobile device, a temperature of an exterior surface of themobile device, a connectivity status of a short range transceiverbetween the mobile device and another mobile device, and a status (e.g.,charge level) of a battery in the mobile device.

As the number of mobile devices people own today increases (for examplea single user may own a mobile phone, tablet, and smart watch) so doesthe complexity of picking the right device to send a given notificationto. Consider how certain companies handle notifications for a user witha mobile phone and a smart watch. By default all notifications may besent to the smart watch. However, if the mobile phone is paired with thesmart watch while the mobile phone is currently unlocked (i.e., the userinterface is enabled to both present content and receive inputsassociated with one or more applications), it is assumed the user isusing the mobile phone. Therefore, notifications are sent to the mobilephone instead of the smart watch. This pattern of sending notificationsto the currently active device is common for notification systems wheremultiple devices are logged in to the same account. Other notificationsystems simply blanket send notifications so they are displayed on everymobile device.

The pattern of sending notifications to the device currently in use in aspecific location is designed to ensure that the notification reachesthe user in the most optimal way. If a user is currently using theirmobile phone in a desired location, then all notifications are sent tothat mobile phone until they lock the device (e.g., turn off the touchscreen or else turn the entire mobile phone off). However this can oftenlead to missed notifications (not noticed while the user is talking onthe phone) or inappropriate assignment of notifications (i.e.,inappropriate for whomever is currently using the phone).

For example, a user may have his/her mobile phone turned on and unlockedbut the devices may not be located in a relevant location. For example,one mobile device may be left in the user's car while the user enters ashopping venue with another mobile device. Similarly, the mobile devicemay be currently used for spoken navigation directions from a mobilemapping and directions application. In these instances notifications aresent to the mobile phone instead of an alternative device such as thesmart watch. But the mobile phone may not be in view of the user andthey will miss any notifications displayed on the device.

Similarly, a shopping-related notification may be sent to devices not inthe possession of the user and, therefore, may be unnecessarilyredundant.

Notifications sent to a smart watch are more intrusive than those sentto a mobile phone. While a user can specify which mobile apps can sendnotifications to a smart watch or to a phone, this is typicallyperformed on a per-app basis rather than based upon the content of thenotification. That is, the user may be interested in notifications thathis/her posts on social media are being reposted by a famous celebritywith millions of followers of his/her postings, but less interested inreceiving a notification that he/she is being followed by a spam accountwith only 10 followers.

Thus, the present invention presents a solution that uses location tosend appropriate notifications to appropriate mobile devices that goesbeyond just looking at which device is currently “active”, pre-definedper-app rules, or blanketing all mobile devices with the samenotifications. In one or more embodiments, the present invention useslocation and in some instances analytics to determine on a case-by-casebasis if a notification should be sent to, for example, a smart watch, atablet, or a mobile phone.

Thus, the present invention presents a method and system by whichcriteria are used to determine which mobile device to send a givennotification to. The selection criteria include, but are not limited to:(1) determining where a mobile device is actively being used or is beingused within a predetermined area; (2) determining if a mobile device isbeing used by the intended user; and (3) determining if the content ofthe notification is suitable for a given mobile device

The present invention enhanced existing mobile device notificationselection processes by including an analysis of criteria that considerswhere a given mobile device is being used, by whom, and in what context.This analysis uses a series of analysis techniques including monitoringdevice locations, monitoring of running apps (software applications),monitoring of app (software application) usage, Natural LanguageProcessing (NLP) of notifications, notification interaction analysis,and app importance analysis to make selection decisions on the bestmobile device to route a notification to.

In addition to location of each mobile device, the present invention mayutilize one or more of the following criteria to determine on whichmobile device (such as a mobile phone or a smart watch) a givennotification should be sent to.

Criterion 1: Is the mobile device being actively used and visible? Thiscriterion is used when a mobile device is considered “in use”. However,it goes beyond checking to see if the device is unlocked to check forone or more of the following:

Monitoring of running app—The system determines which app is currentlyrunning on the mobile device. This is compared to a list of apps wherenotifications should not be received. These are apps that while runningtypically do not hold the users full attention (e.g., the user is notcontinually looking at the screen of the mobile device while the app isrunning), and therefore may not see a notification placed there.Examples are map and navigation apps that display navigation directionson a digital map on the mobile device and/or via audible directions, ora music app in which the mobile device is being used to stream music tonearby speakers via a short range network. This list of apps can be bothuser-defined (users set which apps that, when running, mean they don'twant to receive notifications on that device) and automatically throughanalysis of notification responses (the system notes overtime which appslead to missed notifications and therefore imply that the user did notsee the notification because a specific app was being used).

Monitoring of app usage activity—The system determines if the user isactively using the unlocked mobile device by measuring user inputactivity. This measurement utilizes the context of the app to determineuser activity. For example if an e-mail app is open the system monitorsfor selection and scrolling of messages, and keyboard input for thecreation of new messages. If no user input is received within (forexample) 2 minutes while the e-mail app is running, this may indicatethe device is not actively been used. Conversely a period of inactivityof 2 minutes when the user is waiting for a video app to completestreaming/downloading video content would not be flagged accordingly. Ifthe system determines that based upon the current app running that themobile device is not being actively used, notifications will not be sentto this device.

Criterion 2: Is the mobile device being used by the intended user? Thiscriterion is used to judge if the intended recipient of a notification(the owner of the mobile device) is actually using the mobile device.This determination may be performed by one or more of the following:

Monitoring of running app—The system determines which app is currentlyrunning on the mobile device to determine the likelihood that the ownerof the mobile device is actually using it. For example if mobile deviceis running an app called “Learn My ABCs” it can be assumed that themobile device is being used by a child, and therefore notifications tothe adult parent should not be sent to this device.

Monitoring of app usage activity—The system goes beyond looking at whatapp is running to see specifically how that app is being used. Forexample consider a video streaming app. If the app is running using theregular profile (e.g., for the parent) then it can assume that the owner(the parent) of the mobile device is likely using it. However if thevideo streaming app is running the child's profile it can be assumed themobile device is instead being used by a child and thereforenotifications for the parent should not be sent to this device.

Identification of mobile user—Some mobile devices is shared betweenmultiple users. For example a parent's mobile device can also beunlocked by the child of that parent. The system can determine whichuser actually unlocked the mobile device through an authenticationmethod used to unlock the device (user specific passcode, fingerprintscanner) or use an onboard camera to utilize facial recognition. If theintended recipient of a notification is not the person currently usingthe mobile device, notifications are not sent to it.

Criteria 3: Is the notification content appropriate for a given mobiledevice? This criterion is used to judge which mobile device is suitableto send a notification based upon the content of the notification. Itgoes beyond assigning notifications from specific apps to specificdevices (for example all notifications from Twitter should be displayedon the smart watch) to make a determination on a case-by-case basis.

Mobile devices can be assigned levels of notification priority, forexample:

Smart Watch=Notification priority “High”. This “High” notificationpriority applies to notifications that contain time-sensitive,important, and/or relevant information to a particular app and/ornotifications that require a reply.

Mobile Phone=Notification priority “Low”. This “Low” notificationpriority applies to notifications that do not need to be seenimmediately.

As new notifications are received by the Mobile Notification Service,the system determines which mobile devices(s) to send the notificationsto using the criteria described in the invention. This involvesanalyzing device location, locked status, current app running, andcurrent user interaction. Additionally, the system may detect the typeof device being utilized by the user and send a notification based onthe determination of the type of device being used. For example, amarketer may desire to send a specific notification only to a specifictype if device; e.g., a smart watch. In addition to analyzing the mobiledevices, the system also analyzes the content of the notification itselfutilizing Natural Language Processing, the importance of thenotification to a given app using app importance analysis, and analyzeshistorical notification interaction data.

The output of the analysis is a recommendation of which mobile device(s)to send a given notification to (e.g., should a given notification besent to a smart watch or a mobile phone). The Mobile Notification Systempasses the notification to the relevant device.

With reference now to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1, there isdepicted a block diagram of an exemplary system and network that may beutilized by and/or in the implementation of the present invention. Someor all of the exemplary architecture, including both depicted hardwareand software, shown for and within computer 101 may be utilized bypositioning system 151 and/or first mobile device 155 and/or secondmobile device 157 shown in FIG. 1.

Exemplary computer 101 includes a processor 103 that is coupled to asystem bus 105. Processor 103 may utilize one or more processors, eachof which has one or more processor cores. A video adapter 107, whichdrives/supports a display 109, is also coupled to system bus 105. Systembus 105 is coupled via a bus bridge 111 to an input/output (I/O) bus113. An I/O interface 115 is coupled to I/O bus 113. I/O interface 115affords communication with various I/O devices, including a keyboard117, a mouse 119, a media tray 121 (which may include storage devicessuch as CD-ROM drives, multi-media interfaces, etc.), and external USBport(s) 125. While the format of the ports connected to I/O interface115 may be any known to those skilled in the art of computerarchitecture, in one embodiment some or all of these ports are universalserial bus (USB) ports.

Also coupled to I/O interface 115 is a positioning system 151, whichdetermines a position of computer 101 and/or other devices usingpositioning sensors 153. Positioning sensors 153, which may be any typeof sensors that are able to determine a position of a computing device;e.g., computer 101, first mobile device 155, second mobile device 157,etc. Positioning sensors 153 may utilize, without limitation, satellitebased positioning devices (e.g., global positioning system—GPS baseddevices), accelerometers (to measure change in movement), barometers (tomeasure changes in altitude), etc.

As depicted, computer 101 is able to communicate with first mobiledevice 155 and/or second mobile device 157 using a network interface129. Network interface 129 is a hardware network interface, such as anetwork interface card (NIC), etc. Network 127 may be an externalnetwork such as the Internet, or an internal network such as an Ethernetor a virtual private network (VPN). In one or more embodiments, network127 is a wireless network, such as a Wi-Fi network, a cellular network,etc.

A hard drive interface 131 is also coupled to system bus 105. Hard driveinterface 131 interfaces with a hard drive 133. In one embodiment, harddrive 133 populates a system memory 135, which is also coupled to systembus 105. System memory is defined as a lowest level of volatile memoryin computer 101. This volatile memory includes additional higher levelsof volatile memory (not shown), including, but not limited to, cachememory, registers and buffers. Data that populates system memory 135includes computer 101′s operating system (OS) 137 and applicationprograms 143.

Operating system (OS) 137 includes a shell 139, for providingtransparent user access to resources such as application programs 143.Generally, shell 139 is a program that provides an interpreter and aninterface between the user and the operating system. More specifically,shell 139 executes commands that are entered into a command line userinterface or from a file. Thus, shell 139, also called a commandprocessor, is generally the highest level of the operating systemsoftware hierarchy and serves as a command interpreter. The shellprovides a system prompt, interprets commands entered by keyboard,mouse, or other user input media, and sends the interpreted command(s)to the appropriate lower levels of the operating system (e.g., a kernel141) for processing. While shell 139 is a text-based, line-oriented userinterface, the present invention will equally well support other userinterface modes, such as graphical, voice, gestural, etc.

As depicted, OS 137 also includes kernel 141, which includes lowerlevels of functionality for OS 137, including providing essentialservices required by other parts of OS 137 and application programs 143,including memory management, process and task management, diskmanagement, and mouse and keyboard management.

Application programs 143 include a renderer, shown in exemplary manneras a browser 145. Browser 145 includes program modules and instructionsenabling a world wide web (WWW) client (i.e., computer 101) to send andreceive network messages to the Internet using hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP) messaging, thus enabling communication with first mobiledevice 155, second mobile device 157, and/or other systems.

Application programs 143 in computer 101's system memory also includeLogic for Managing Notifications to Mobile Devices (LMNMD) 147. LMNMD147 includes code for implementing the processes described below,including those described in FIG. 2.

The hardware elements depicted in computer 101 are not intended to beexhaustive, but rather are representative to highlight essentialcomponents required by the present invention. For instance, computer 101may include alternate memory storage devices such as magnetic cassettes,digital versatile disks (DVDs), Bernoulli cartridges, and the like.These and other variations are intended to be within the spirit andscope of the present invention.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a high-level flow chart of one or moresteps performed by one or more processors to selectively sendnotifications to mobile devices is presented.

After initiator block 202, one or more processors (e.g., processor 103in computer 101 depicted in FIG. 1) identifies at least one targetcriterion for a user who possesses a set of mobile devices operated bythe user, as described in block 204. That is, a target criterion (e.g.,an target area of geofence set by a market who manages a shopping appdriven by a computer such as computer 101 to access mobile devices suchas the first mobile device 155 and/or the second mobile device 157) isestablished to dictate and allow computer 101 to control whichnotifications are sent to particular mobile devices, as describedherein.

As depicted in block 206, the processor(s) determine that a user has metat least one target criterion that triggers delivery of a message to oneor more mobile devices from the set of mobile devices. That is, computer101 determines that whenever some event occurs (e.g., new e-mail comesin, a phone call is placed, user enters a predetermined area, etc.), andthat this event may be selectively handled by a particular mobile deviceas described herein, then a push notification is issued to the mobiledevice that is receiving the notification (and thus is experiencing theevent).

As depicted in block 208, the processor(s) determines that the user hasa number of mobile devices or a set of mobile devices and the system mayfurther determine the status of each device. This status may be active(e.g., is currently running), inactive (e.g., is paused or turned off),blocked (i.e., is prevented from running on this particular mobiledevice), authorized or unauthorized (i.e., is authorized or unauthorizedto run on this particular mobile device), etc.

With regard to block 210, the processor(s) filter from the plurality ofcomputing devices a selected number of the computing devices toselectively receive the message. The filtering is based on a conditionof the at least one computing device, such as location, that differsfrom other computing devices to determine the selected number. Thespecific aspects and benefits of the filtering process of this inventionwill be described in more detail below.

At block 212, the processor(s) may, by way of example, receive notice ordetermine the condition specified in block 210; e.g., that at least onecomputing device is within a threshold distance to a predeterminedlocation based at least in part on location information for each of theplurality of computing devices. The processor(s) may utilize positioningsystem 151 to determine the position of the various computing devicesassociated with the user. The specific type of location sensors shouldnot be limited to the figures included herein. Instead, the locationsensing may take many forms, including a GPS system located in eachcomputing device which transmits a signal received by the system shownin FIG. 1 via network 127 or other type of position detectors known tothose of skill in the art.

For example, the positioning system 151 within first mobile device 155may determine that first mobile device 155 is currently in apredesignated shopping area linked to an app. Further the second mobiledevice 157 may be a mobile phone, and the system may determine that thesecond device 157 is also located in a different location or at the sameshopping area; thus able to receive sales notifications. Alternatively,the system may determine that the devices 155, 157 are within a securefacility that prohibits the use of smart watches to take phone calls,and that first mobile device 155 is a smart watch (which may be used tomake nonobvious phone calls). As such, the status of the phone app onfirst mobile device 155 is “unauthorized” and/or “blocked”, such that nocalls can be made to the first mobile device 155. Conversely, the statusof the phone app on the second mobile device 157 is “authorized” and/or“unblocked”, such that calls (as well as notifications) can be made tothe second mobile device 157.

As described in block 214, the processor(s) send a message or perform anaction (e.g., a phone call, a text message, an alert, etc.) to anappropriate mobile device of the user as described herein.

The flow chart in FIG. 2 ends at terminator block 216.

The present invention is a system for filtering selected number(s) ofcomputing devices (e.g., mobile devices) from a group of devicesassociated with a particular user. The filtering system is located on aremote server that associates each computing device with (1) one or morefiltering schemes and (2) at least one set of filtering elements from aplurality of sets of filtering elements, thereby allowing individualnetworks to customize the filtering of selected computing devices form agroup of devices associated with a user. One advantage of the inventionis found in the combination of the filtering tools used in a manner thatavoids their known drawbacks; e.g., sending redundant and unnecessarymessage to multiple computing devices. The inventive filtering systemavoids sending redundant and unnecessary messages and avoids theassociated costs and energy use associate with these unnecessarymessages. As a result, the present invention reduces overall networktraffic and power consumption by the user's device(s) as well as thesignal traffic and power consumption by the relevant towers and signaltransmission facilities. The efficiencies provided by the presentinvention preserve resources at the user devices and the signaltransmission utilities. Moreover, the resources of the devices are notwasted on unwanted or unnecessary messages that are filtered out by thefundamental principles of the invention. Eliminating unwanted orunnecessary messages not only improves device efficiency but alsopersonal productivity Thus, the claimed invention is able to provideindividually customizable filtering at the remote computing devices bytaking advantage of the technical capability of certain communicationnetworks.

Power consumption is a critical concern for battery driven mobiledevices such as Smartphone, batteries are limited in size and thereforecapacity. This implies that managing energy well is paramount in suchdevices. Significant work has been devoted to improving it throughbetter software and hardware. Running fewer applications can save powerbut this is not considered a design aspect to be managed in software butis dependent on the user's preferences, which forms a part of thepresent invention. In accordance with this invention, reducing thenumber of messages received and stored by a mobile device can providedramatic savings on both memory and power consumption.

More specifically, the present invention provides a filtering tool at aspecific location, remote from the end-users, with customizablefiltering features specific to each device of the end user. For example,the device setting for each user device may be equipped with settingsthat allow the system to determine user preferences for receivingmessages and alerting the system in general to user preferences. Thisdesign gives the filtering tool both the benefits of a filter on a localcomputer and the benefits of a filter on the ISP server. The inventiveconcept rests on taking advantage of the ability of the system toidentify individual accounts and devices that communicate with thesystem, and to associate a request for message delivery with a specificindividual device or set of devices. The inventive concept harnessesthis technical feature of network technology in a filtering system byassociating individual accounts or devices with their own filteringscheme and elements while locating the filtering system on an ISPserver.

In one embodiment, there is provided a computer-implemented method ofselectively sending notifications to mobile devices, whereby thecomputer-implemented method comprises determining, by one or moreprocessors, that a user has met a criterion that triggers delivery of amessage to at least one computing device of the user. Determining thatthe user has met a criteria may comprises evaluating a marketingcriteria personalized to the user, such as the Great Grocery exampleprovided above. In this example, the marketing criteria is linked to thepredetermined distance of the user to the grocery store in question,thereby triggering delivery of a message to the user's mobile device.

In another embodiment, determining that the user has met a criterion maycomprise evaluating an electronic communication made by said user,wherein said electronic communication includes a query regarding anon-line commercial transaction thereby triggering delivery of saidmessage to said at least one computing device of the user. For example,the user may make an on-line query about a product or service and thatquery may prompt an advertisement or promotion. The method and system ofthis invention is directed to determining which user device is mostappropriate for sending/receiving the message or communication.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each mobile device from themobile devices is a different type of mobile device compared to othermobile devices from the set of mobile devices. For example, one mobiledevice may be a smart watch, another mobile device may be a mobilephone, another mobile device may be a tablet computer, etc. Each type ofmobile device has different characteristics, displays, features, etc. Assuch, the computer 101 may send the notification to the mobile devicethat is best suited. For example, a phone call/notification may be sentto a smart watch, which is well suited to handling phone calls but note-mail. Similarly, a tablet computer may be well suited to handlinge-mail, but is “overkill” for handling an SMS message/notification,which is best handled by a smart phone. As such, the computer 101 willsend phone calls/notifications to the smart watch, e-mails/notificationsto the tablet computer, and SMS messages/notifications to the mobilephone.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor(s) parse andevaluate the content (associated with the notification) by a naturallanguage processing (NLP) engine, which determines a context/meaning ofthe content. Based on this parsing/evaluation, the system knows whichdevice to send the notification to, what type of notification alert touse (e.g., a loud alarm for an e-mail about a disaster alert, a softalarm for an e-mail about routine events, etc.).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the push notificationprovides notification of a software-based event. These software-basedevents are events that are handled by and/or are the result of an appexecuting, such as receiving an incoming text message, receiving anincoming e-mail, generating/displaying a calendar alert,generating/displaying a timer alarm, receiving an incoming phone call,receiving an incoming software update (to a particular app), receiving aweather report from a weather service, generating/displaying an errormessage (i.e., a fault message describing a problem with a particularapp), etc.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor(s) receive asensor reading from a hardware sensor (e.g., one or more of the hardwaresensors 159 depicted in FIG. 1). The hardware sensor detects a physicalcondition of hardware in the first mobile device, such as CPU usage,temperature, bus bandwidth, I/O bandwidth, etc. These sensor readingsare included in the content that is associated with the pushnotification. The processor(s) then use these sensor readings to selecta second mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which afuture push notification is issued. For example, if the smart watch (afirst mobile device) gets so hot that it is likely to malfunction (e.g.,the watch is dropped into hot water), then incoming phone calls will goto the mobile phone (a second mobile device) rather than the smartwatch. In other words, the system receives, by one or more processors, asensor reading from a hardware sensor in a first mobile device. Thehardware sensor detects a physical condition of hardware in the firstmobile device; including the sensor reading in the content that isassociated with the message; and using the sensor reading to select asecond mobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which afuture message is issued.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the processor(s) identify apush notification type for the push notification and an application typefor the application involved in the user engagement. The processor(s)then compare the push notification type to the application type. If thepush notification type matches the application type according topredefined criteria, then the push notification is authorized to betransmitted to the first mobile device. If not, then the pushnotification is blocked from being further transmitted to the firstmobile device. That is, if the push notification is for an e-mail, butthere is no e-mail app on a first mobile device that is assigned to auser, then the e-mail is pushed to a second mobile device that is alsoassigned to that same user.

In one or more embodiments, the present invention is implemented in acloud environment. It is understood in advance that although thisdisclosure includes a detailed description on cloud computing,implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to acloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the presentinvention are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any othertype of computing environment now known or later developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 3, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. System memory28 can include computer system readable media in the form of volatilememory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cache memory 32.Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone MA, desktop computer MB, laptop computer MC,and/or automobile computer system MN may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices MA-N shownin FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 4) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillments 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and notification selection and transmissionprocessing 96 (for selectively sending notifications to mobile devicesas described herein).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentinvention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of various embodiments of the present invention has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description, but is notintended to be exhaustive or limited to the present invention in theform disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope andspirit of the present invention. The embodiment was chosen and describedin order to best explain the principles of the present invention and thepractical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the artto understand the present invention for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Any methods described in the present disclosure may be implementedthrough the use of a VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language) programand a VHDL chip. VHDL is an exemplary design-entry language for FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), and other similar electronic devices. Thus, anysoftware-implemented method described herein may be emulated by ahardware-based VHDL program, which is then applied to a VHDL chip, suchas a FPGA.

Having thus described embodiments of the present invention of thepresent application in detail and by reference to illustrativeembodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications andvariations are possible without departing from the scope of the presentinvention defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of selectivelysending notifications to mobile devices, the computer-implemented methodcomprising: determining, by one or more processors, that a single userhas a plurality of computing devices that are associated with the singleuser; determining, by said one or more processors, that said single userhas met a criterion that triggers delivery of a message to each of saidplurality of computing devices; filtering, by said one or moreprocessors, from said plurality of computing devices at least oneselected computing device to selectively receive said message, saidfiltering based on an action of said single user while using said atleast one selected computing device from, said filtering further basedon at least one of a determination of an appropriateness of the messagecontent for the at least one selected computing device and adetermination of an appropriateness of the message content for a currentuser of the at least one selected computing device, wherein an amount ofsaid at least one selected computing device is fewer than said pluralityof computing devices; sending, by said one or more processors, themessage to the at least one selected computing device, wherein the atleast one selected computing device includes a first mobile device andwherein the first mobile device is identified as a recipient for a groupof messages; receiving, by said one or more processors, a sensor readingfrom a hardware sensor in the first mobile device, wherein the hardwaresensor detects a physical condition of hardware in the first mobiledevice; selecting, by said one or more processors, a second mobiledevice based on the sensor reading from the hardware sensor of the firstmobile device, wherein the second mobile device was not included in theat least one selected computing device; and providing, by said one ormore processors, a future message to the second mobile device, whereinthe future message is a message of the group of messages for which thefirst mobile device was identified as a recipient.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, said filtering further comprising: determining, by said one ormore processors, that said at least one selected computing device iswithin a threshold distance to a predetermined location, based, at leastin part, on location information for said plurality of computingdevices, said action being movement of said single user.
 3. The methodof claim 2, further comprising: determining that at least two of thecomputing devices of the user are within the threshold distance based onsaid movement of said single user; and determining which of the at leasttwo of the computing devices is to receive the message based on adetermined preference of the user.
 4. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: determining a pattern of user behavior for viewing messageson the at least two of the computing devices of the single user; anddetermining that the single user is more likely to view a messagereceived a given computing device, of the at least two of the computingdevices, based on the pattern of user behavior.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein the message is sent to only to the given computing device. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein said determining that said single userhas met said criterion further comprises: evaluating a marketingcriteria personalized to said single user, wherein said marketingcriteria is linked to said predetermined distance thereby triggeringdelivery of said message to said at least one computing device of thesingle user.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining thatsaid single user has met said criterion further comprises: evaluating anelectronic communication made by said single user, wherein saidelectronic communication includes a query regarding an on-linecommercial transaction thereby triggering delivery of said message tosaid at least one computing device of the single user.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving, by said one or more processors,a message describing an interaction of the single user with at least oneof the first mobile device and the second mobile device; and using, bysaid one or more processors, the interaction to select a second a thirdmobile device from the set of mobile devices towards which the futuremessage is issued.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sendinga message to said at least one selected computing device to providenotification of a software-based event, wherein the software-based eventis from a group consisting of an incoming text message, an incominge-mail, a calendar alert, a timer alarm, an incoming phone call, anincoming software update, a weather report, and an error message relatedto a status of an application running on said at least one selectedcomputing device of said plurality of computing devices.
 10. A computerprogram product comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storagedevice; and a computer-readable program code stored in thenon-transitory computer-readable storage device, the computer readableprogram code containing instructions executable by a processor of acomputer system to implement a method for selectively sendingnotifications to mobile devices, the method comprising: determining thata single user has a plurality of computing devices that are associatedwith the single user; determining that said single user has met acriterion that triggers delivery of a message to each of said pluralityof computing devices; filtering from said plurality of computing devicesat least one selected computing device to selectively receive saidmessage, said filtering based on an action of said single user whileusing said at least one selected computing device, said filteringfurther based on at least one of a determination of an appropriatenessof the message content for the at least one selected computing deviceand a determination of an appropriateness of the message content for acurrent user of the at least one selected computing device, wherein anamount of said at least one selected computing device is fewer than saidplurality of computing devices; sending the message to the at least oneselected computing device, wherein the at least one selected computingdevice includes a first mobile device and wherein the first mobiledevice is identified as a recipient for a group of messages; receiving asensor reading from a hardware sensor in the first mobile device,wherein the hardware sensor detects a physical condition of hardware inthe first mobile device; selecting a second mobile device based on thesensor reading from the hardware sensor of the first mobile device,wherein the second mobile device was not included in the at least oneselected computing device; and providing a future message to the secondmobile device, wherein the future message is a message of the group ofmessages for which the first mobile device was identified as arecipient.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10, said filteringfurther comprising: determining that said at least one selectedcomputing device is within a threshold distance to a predeterminedlocation, based, at least in part, on location information for saidplurality of computing devices, said action being movement of saidsingle user.
 12. The computer program product of claim 11, the methodfurther comprising: determining that at least two of the computingdevices of the user are within the threshold distance based on saidmovement of said single user; and determining which of the at least twoof the computing devices is to receive the message based on a determinedpreference of the user.
 13. The computer program product of claim 12,further comprising: determining a pattern of user behavior for viewingmessages on the at least two of the computing devices of the singleuser; and determining that the single user is more likely to view amessage received a given computing device, of the at least two of thecomputing devices, based on the pattern of user behavior.
 14. Thecomputer program product of claim 12, wherein the message is sent toonly the given computing device.
 15. A computer system, comprising: aprocessor; a memory coupled to said processor; and a computer readablestorage device coupled to the processor, the storage device containinginstructions executable by the processor via the memory to implement amethod for selectively sending notifications to mobile devices, themethod comprising the steps of: determining that a single user has aplurality of computing devices that are associated with the user;determining that said single user has met a criterion that triggersdelivery of a message to each of said plurality of computing devices;filtering from said plurality of computing devices at least one selectedcomputing device number to selectively receive said message, saidfiltering based on an action of said single user while using said atleast one selected computing device, said filtering further based on atleast one of a determination of an appropriateness of the messagecontent for the at least one selected computing device and adetermination of an appropriateness of the message content for a currentuser of the at least one selected computing device, wherein an amount ofsaid at least one selected computing device is fewer than said pluralityof computing devices; sending the message to the at least one selectedcomputing device, wherein the at least one selected computing deviceincludes a first mobile device and wherein the first mobile device isidentified as a recipient for a group of messages; receiving a sensorreading from a hardware sensor in the first mobile device, wherein thehardware sensor detects a physical condition of hardware in the firstmobile device: selecting a second mobile device based on the sensorreading from the hardware sensor of the first mobile device, wherein thesecond mobile device was not included in the at least one selectedcomputing device; and providing a future message to the second mobiledevice, wherein the future message is a message of the group of messagesfor which the first mobile device was identified as a recipient.
 16. Thecomputer system of claim 15, said filtering further comprising:determining that said at least one selected computing device is within athreshold distance to a predetermined location, based, at least in part,on location information for said plurality of computing devices, saidaction being movement of said single user.
 17. The computer system ofclaim 16, the method further comprising: determining that at least twoof the computing devices of the user are within the threshold distancebased on said movement of said single user; and determining which of theat least two of the computing devices is to receive the message based ona determined preference of the user.
 18. The computer system of claim17, further comprising: determining a pattern of user behavior forviewing messages on the at least two of the computing devices of thesingle user; and determining that the single user is more likely to viewa message received a given computing device, of the at least two of thecomputing devices, based on the pattern of user behavior.
 19. Thecomputer system of claim 15, wherein said determining that said user hasmet said criterion further comprises: evaluating a marketing criteriapersonalized to said single user, wherein said marketing criteria islinked to said predetermined distance thereby triggering delivery ofsaid message to said at least one computing device of the single user.